Abstract:The second chapter of Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom explains how crucial a teacher understanding their own intelligences is to their ability to instruct a classroom full of diverse learners. The chapter mentions that these intelligences are influenced by uncontrollable factors, such as your biological and cultural history, but also that, despite these unavoidable factors, and your personal intelligence strengths and weaknesses, you never stop growing as a learner; anybody can hone and develop any intelligence at any point in life. It also explains external factors of intelligences, which are separated into crystallizing and paralyzing experiences. These experiences steer us to or away from different subjects that become our varied intelligences. All of these factors are very important for educators to understand, as we need to be fluent in the idea of multiple intelligences in order to effectively use them in our classrooms. Synthesis: Understanding how multiple intelligences work and utilizing them in the classroom very much changes how one's classroom operates. Knowing your own multiple intelligence strengths and weaknesses allows you to find ways to teach to the entire room. For this reason, a teacher needs to be well versed in the intricacies of each intelligence, as it is key to using them with students, even when the areas in question are the educators personal weaknesses. It also gives you an idea of what areas of intelligence you should seek advice for in, in order to use them appropriately. The book suggests that this can be done by asking for this advice from colleagues and your students. This kind of collaboration with colleagues creates opportunities for professional teamwork, and with students creates a more involved classroom that gives students of all intelligence areas a chance to demonstrate inventiveness and leadership.This chapter also makes you even more aware of how capable students are of growth. Even a senior in high school has the capacity to gain skill in any area of weakness, which is a pretty powerful concept for the classroom. It's also nice to remember as an educator, as it reminds one that despite our weaknesses, with time, we can gain strength in teaching those areas. Another section that is hugely important to the classroom is crystallizing and paralyzing experiences. Knowing that you as a teacher, or your students peers, can easily create an experience negative enough to paralyze a sector of a person's intelligence is very impactful. Having a classroom to facilitate crystallizing experiences instead is necessary to having a healthy, comfortable, and encouraging environment, which is an atmosphere for which all teachers should always strive.
Sean Falasca
I thought the way the chapter opened up by stating that before we apply any model of learning in our classrooms, we as teachers and adult learners should have experience and understanding with it first. How can we begin to teach our students with a model of education that we ourselves do not fully understand? Even if we do not particularly like the model of learning, we as teachers can not throw it away because it might actually benefit certain student greatly. Thus, it is important to understand any model of teaching before being implemented. I would not even feel comfortable teaching something with a model I did not understand myself. I would feel embarrassed as a teacher if I did not know how to properly answer a basic question because I did not understand fully the model of learning. It seems irresponsible to me if you do not fully prepare yourself to bestow necessary knowledge to your students.
By using the MI Theory you can educate yourself on your potential weaknesses as an educator and strive towards working on them for the betterment of your students. Even as an educator it is okay to as for help for your colleagues and even your own students. We can learn just as much from our students as they do from us. Also, asking for help amongst colleagues is a sign of strength and shows dedication, excellent team work, and professionalism as a staff. Using available technology is also a smart alternative to help teach through potential weaknesses as an educator. I think as a teacher it is important to not be shy about your weaknesses and turn it into an opportunity for your students of colleagues to teach you something.
My favorite part of the chapter was learning about the different aspect such as historical periods, genetic, environmental, activators, and deactivators on intelligence. In this section of the chapter it makes it seem like there could have been a lot of highly intelligent losses due to historical time periods. The example it gave was what it Mozart had been born in Puritan England where practicing music was considered the devils work? Well, it seems like this could have actually happened to someone and their high intellect was wasted due to popular notions and beliefs. It makes me upset to think of someone who could have been highly gifted was in a time period where their intelligence was seen in a negative light. Also, those being born into a poor family that does not have the resources to help develop potential genius intelligence makes me feel sad. Same case with someone who had a deactivator in their life that inhibited something potentially great.
Jon Delorme
As I stated in my previous blog entry I feel very week in certain intelligences and strong in others. The activity in class that let us identify which intelligences we are showed that I am not too proficient in being a musical, naturalist, or spatial learner. This honestly scares me because I want to provide for my students the best learning experience I can offer. I do not want my future students to suffer just because I cannot present the material the way they learn best. Chapter Two of Multiple Intelligences by Thomas Armstrong leaves the reader some tips in fixing this gap between teacher and student. Armstrong suggests using colleagues and students who are strong where I am not to lend a helping hand or provide ideas for different strategies. Armstrong also proposes using technical resources to assist in drawing connections between the students’ mind and the material being presented. I will definitely remember these simple suggestions when I become a teacher one day.
I am thankful that Armstrong does say that, “most people can develop all their intelligences to a relatively acceptable level of mastery (27).” There is hope that I can develop the traits that I wish to improve in. Reading this book and Thursday’s class about multiple intelligences has really opened my eyes to how diverse people can be. I wish that other professors on this campus were more aware of how different students can be from themselves. I have had too many classes at the collegiate level that have been straight lectures with nothing besides a podium. It is hard to be taught by professionals who do almost everything we are told not to do.
Tess Perry
In order to effectively utilize the MI theory in classrooms the educator must have experimented with their own MIs. Discovering which areas are developed and looking for other intelligences that could use further growth is the first step. A suggestion offered was to ask others for suggestions on how to incorporate more of the intelligences in class work. The two most accessible resources described in this chapter were colleagues and students. Colleagues can be used to team teach in an intelligence area that the class teacher may still need to grow. Asking students that have exhibited higher development in one intelligence area was another suggestion offered. Many factors can play into the growth or suppression of intelligences such as environment, genetics, and resources to intelligences, historical or cultural factors, family or simply different personal experiences This chapter took a more introspective approach for me; it caused me to look into what I could improve upon to make my future classroom and lessons appealing and inclusive to all students. Examining my development of the different intelligences might drive how I continue my education both professionally and personally. For example I know my musical intelligence is less developed than my bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, so I should focus on how I can bring music into my classroom or I could take piano lessons to improve upon this intelligence. I think that if I improved upon one of the intelligences personally it would spill over into my professional life. One blaring example of this, my content area, I practice healthy habits personally which is one reason I become interested in this subject in the first place.
Tori Penney
In Chapter 2 of MI, the focus is mostly on how teacher’s intelligences affect their teaching methods. I know from both personal assessment and the assessments we took in class that I am very spatially, musically, and verbally focused. So bringing in logic and math and relating it to social studies may not be something I can do. As a resource I should ask another teacher or student who has a very developed logical intelligence for ideas. What I hadn't thought of before was that not all of these intelligences are solely developed—or not developed—because of heredity and biological happenings. On page 29, a list of outside influences is presented, and includes access to resources, historical-cultural factors, geographic factors, familial factors, and situational factors. These factors had never really crossed my mind. Even in class the other day, when I spoke about how my father exposed me to music, it didn’t click in my head how important that was. What if I had a dad who didn’t like music? Would music still be so entwined in my life today? Would I still enjoy singing, or even be good at it? I am not sure, and I could never be sure. As a teacher, I hope that I can expose students to crystallizing experiences and not paralyzing experiences. I believe that the most occurring paralyzing experience is when teachers call on students who are not great readers, and ask them to read out loud. While I understand that this is to challenge the student, there are other ways to do so without announcing the student’s difficulty to the classroom and hence embarrassing the in front of all of their peers. That will only paralyze them both with furthering their verbal/linguistic skills, as well as their social skills.
Kiera Timme
In Chapter 2, of Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom, the author Thomas Armstrong emphasizes the importance for teachers to understand their own multiple intelligences, before they begin to use it. In order to facilitate this requirement, Armstrong provides suggestions of how to go about assessing ourselves, as well as a MI inventory as an exploratory aid to help us make an evaluation. Once this has been established, the author builds upon the idea presented in Chapter 1 regarding developing each of our intelligences. Armstrong describes this process of intelligence developing as “activating” (Armstrong, p27). This is the process by which we can activate intelligences that have been neglected.
This chapter highlights the importance of knowing oneself before trying to analyze others. As a teacher it is particularly important that I understand what teaching approaches I am likely to take, based on my intelligences. This way I can remain mindful of the other intelligences, and the students whose intelligences differ from mine. While reading, I came to view this chapter as somewhat of a cautionary tale. Understanding that certain experiences can either “crystalize” or “paralyze” (Armstrong, p28) the development of certain intelligence is really powerful information. I remember when I was in high school and we were called upon to look at the membrane of an onion under a microscope. I was so short that I had to tip-toe to try and view the slide. At this moment my science teacher burst into laughter. I definitely found myself pulling away from that class after that incident despite the fact that I really enjoyed science. As a teacher, it is so important that I act in ways which nurture the development of my students, and that I remain mindful that even the smallest negative act might stifle their potential.
Garrett Hodgkins
The second chapter of the book focuses on our own personal intelligences, and how they can affect the classroom. It also talks about how we should realize where some of our intelligence weaknesses may lay, and what we can do to ensure that these are still prominent in the classroom that may be stronger in those areas. It also goes into how an environment could vastly affect a person’s development in a certain area, citing a Mozart growing up in a puritan England as an example, where his musical intelligence would have been severely hampered.
This essay did a lot to open my eyes to what an negative environment could to do a students learning capability and intelligence. Without the right environment and teacher a students potential could be left entirely untapped. similarly, an absolutely volatile environment would leave the student’s ability very undeveloped. I will make sure to exclude negative aspects of intelligence in my future classroom, striving to not reprimand a student who may seem weak in an area of intelligence, because that may be the paralyzing experience that completely eliminates his development in that particular area of intelligence. Also, this article showed me that I my student’s may be able to help me just as much as I can them. When in the classroom and in a situation where I would like to lead the class in an intelligence area I am not strong in ( spatial) I could as a student to lead the activity for me, not only to nurture his own spatial intelligence, but the rest of the class’s as well
Frank Makuch
This chapter went through the process of finding out where you as an educator sit on the MI spectrum. It states that no matter what intelligences you excel in, you must be able to understand the others. This might include accepting advice from a person who might be more spatial or musical or logical then you are. The chapter describes the three things that may cause a person to develop and use their intelligences. Influences include genetics, personal life history, and culture. All of these things may cause a certain development to take root. The chapter also mentioned the activators and deactivators of intelligence. Certain geniuses such as Albert Einstein had a specific moment that triggered their creativity in a certain area. The deactivator seems to be the much more tragic. This is a moment or memory that may deter the individual from developing certain intelligences. This can be caused by embarrassment or some other factor.
As a professional educator I hope to use my knowledge of intelligences to create a more open environment for people who do not fit the cultural mold. Depriving someone of their own intelligence because you humiliated them might be the worst thing you could do as an educator. Understanding why some students excel in schools and some do not is important. The ones who have trouble should not be passed over as dumb. The MI theory gives us a framework to come from when we view the classroom and students.
Molly Olsen
Intelligences can be developed for years. At age five you may not be much of a reader, but if your mother finally lands the librarian job of her dreams, or your father purchases a beautiful house furnished (books and all) perhaps that would change. Events such as these are called "crystalizing experiences", as they put a certain intelligence in a positive light by striking an interest or simply have it's tools or ideas available. The same could go oppositely as well. If you had illiterate parents and your friends from the neighborhood laughed at a story they found you trying to write, you may not succeed in your literacy. When you are biologically endowed, have a personal life history, and cultural background of positive interaction or attainment of an intelligence, you are more likely to possess it.
In order to teach students who possess a certain intelligence, it would be helpful to have some sort of understanding of it yourself so that you can suggest project ideas, or find a part of a lesson which can connect to multiple students superior knowledges or abilities in particular. This isn't to say that you have to be a savant in every way, that would be impossible! The idea is to recognize your strengths and weaknesses, and figure out how to work with them so as to help your students. For instance, if you're very musical, write them a song about nouns or a particular character in a book. I know for me, I'm not very high in my bodily- kinesthetic area, but if I knew my students were, I could use my fellow teachers as resources for ideas of how to [[#|apply]] more physical things to my lessons.
Kaitlyn Bowie
This chapter focused on the important of encouraging multiple intelligences, not just in students, but in the teachers as well. By figuring out their own weaknesses and strengths out of the eight intelligences, a teacher can decide what styles of presenting information they can use to improve and vary their teaching style. Teachers are encouraged to reach out to their peers and talk to them about what strategies they might have used in the classroom, and compare that to their own teaching style in order to see what can be added for improvement in their own classroom. This is an encouraged method, also due to the fact that by referring to another’s work, a teacher will know what to expect for problems and questions their own students may have based off of what students asked the other teacher during the initial lesson. I found this chapter to be encouraging, because it described continual learning for teachers in varying stages of teaching. While such methods of identifying intelligences would certainly benefit a new teacher, a more experiences teacher could do that same. To me, this could mean that after I establish a teaching method that is effective and works to my strengths, I should [[#|continue]] to improve it by utilizing skills in the other intelligences. For example, say that I have students write silent at the start of class. I can improve this by utilizing my underdeveloped musical skills by playing music that either creates a serene working atmosphere, or pertains to the writing if I have students focusing on a particular topic.
Caroline Murphy
I was unaware that Multiple Intelligences could be affected by so many external factors; I thought they were simply something that was hardwired into a person’s brain throughout their whole life. It is sad to think that a child’s potential for knowledge could be halted by something completely out of their control, such as socioeconomic factors or the influence of parents, but those are just challenges that a teacher must overcome. I think that one of the most important jobs of a teacher is to draw out knowledge in the face of various forms of resistance. The chapter’s ideas for how teachers can make up for lacking in a particular intelligence were very interesting too. I would really like to have the opportunity to team teach at some point in my career, so keeping in mind the different intelligences and learning styles when doing so will be very helpful. It was valuable to learn about the different ways that teachers can collaborate with their minds and different strengths, and that idea is definitely something I will take into the classroom with me. I also like how the author suggested having students use their own intelligence strengths to help out a teacher when their strengths don’t match up. This would create a very collaborative, inventive classroom environment that would allow students a chance to take on leadership positions in the classroom and to explore their individual talents in a way that benefits the classroom as a whole. These are all important things to remember once I am a teacher.
Amy Jones
The developing of different intelligences is determined by 3 factors:
Biological endowment: including hereditary or genetic factors and insults or injuries to the brain before, during, and after birth.
Personal life history- including experiences with the parents, teachers, peers, friends, and others who awaken intelligences, keep them from developing, or actively repress them.
Cultural and historical background- including the time and place in which you were born and raised and the nature and state of cultural or historical developments in different domains.
There are also different experiences that either “paralyze” our intelligence or crystialize them. They are sought to be the turning point or the light bulb in which a child either develops that intelligence more or in the sad circumstances diminishes the will to learn more about the intelligence. In conjuction with those they are different factors that will help facilitate these actions. They include:
Access to resources or mentors
Historical-cultural factors
Geographic factors
Familial Factors
Situational factors
This chapter makes you open your mind and makes you realize all of the different people that are in this world today. These different intelligences need to be apparent in your daily curriculum so that you as a teacher are crystallizing these intelligences instead of paralyzing them. The importance of teaching is getting the best out of everyone; yes it is important to build their knowledge in many different forms of intelligences but we need to understand that each child has their own way of learning material and also their own way of expressing that same material.
Alison Hutchins
The second chapter of Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom discusses implementing the multiple intelligences (MIs) in your own life in order to accurately use them in the classroom. It explains that this is a necessity of commitment, as knowing it works for educators and adult learners will strengthen the dedication to using it on students. It also helps gain fluency in each of the individual intelligences, which will help to use them in the classroom. Another way that identifying your own MIs is to understand where your areas of weakness are, they use the example that, as an educator, you could have very limited spatial abilities, which makes you prone to avoiding drawing diagrams and pictures, and using graphics. However, there will be spatial learners in your classroom, meaning that you have to develop this skill more to properly instruct them.
Understanding this and how the MIs are developed (the three main ways being biological endowment, personal life history, and cultural and historical background) are crucial to teaching a diverse classroom effectively. Also important are the activators and deactivators, “crystallizing and paralyzing experiences.” These are factors that will either suppress or feed the development in a certain MI. In seventh grade I had a crystallizing experience with English, having been told by my teacher that I was a strong academic and creative writer. This is the kind of moment that I would love to be able to create for students, while dashing any possible paralyzing experiences in my classroom. Encouragement to develop intelligences and playing to a students is is important for a teacher to do, as certain moments can really affect you students’ future.
Table of Contents
Alison Hutchins: Group 1, Abstract & Synthesis.
Abstract:The second chapter of Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom explains how crucial a teacher understanding their own intelligences is to their ability to instruct a classroom full of diverse learners. The chapter mentions that these intelligences are influenced by uncontrollable factors, such as your biological and cultural history, but also that, despite these unavoidable factors, and your personal intelligence strengths and weaknesses, you never stop growing as a learner; anybody can hone and develop any intelligence at any point in life. It also explains external factors of intelligences, which are separated into crystallizing and paralyzing experiences. These experiences steer us to or away from different subjects that become our varied intelligences. All of these factors are very important for educators to understand, as we need to be fluent in the idea of multiple intelligences in order to effectively use them in our classrooms.
Synthesis:
Understanding how multiple intelligences work and utilizing them in the classroom very much changes how one's classroom operates. Knowing your own multiple intelligence strengths and weaknesses allows you to find ways to teach to the entire room. For this reason, a teacher needs to be well versed in the intricacies of each intelligence, as it is key to using them with students, even when the areas in question are the educators personal weaknesses. It also gives you an idea of what areas of intelligence you should seek advice for in, in order to use them appropriately. The book suggests that this can be done by asking for this advice from colleagues and your students. This kind of collaboration with colleagues creates opportunities for professional teamwork, and with students creates a more involved classroom that gives students of all intelligence areas a chance to demonstrate inventiveness and leadership.This chapter also makes you even more aware of how capable students are of growth. Even a senior in high school has the capacity to gain skill in any area of weakness, which is a pretty powerful concept for the classroom. It's also nice to remember as an educator, as it reminds one that despite our weaknesses, with time, we can gain strength in teaching those areas. Another section that is hugely important to the classroom is crystallizing and paralyzing experiences. Knowing that you as a teacher, or your students peers, can easily create an experience negative enough to paralyze a sector of a person's intelligence is very impactful. Having a classroom to facilitate crystallizing experiences instead is necessary to having a healthy, comfortable, and encouraging environment, which is an atmosphere for which all teachers should always strive.
Sean Falasca
I thought the way the chapter opened up by stating that before we apply any model of learning in our classrooms, we as teachers and adult learners should have experience and understanding with it first. How can we begin to teach our students with a model of education that we ourselves do not fully understand? Even if we do not particularly like the model of learning, we as teachers can not throw it away because it might actually benefit certain student greatly. Thus, it is important to understand any model of teaching before being implemented. I would not even feel comfortable teaching something with a model I did not understand myself. I would feel embarrassed as a teacher if I did not know how to properly answer a basic question because I did not understand fully the model of learning. It seems irresponsible to me if you do not fully prepare yourself to bestow necessary knowledge to your students.By using the MI Theory you can educate yourself on your potential weaknesses as an educator and strive towards working on them for the betterment of your students. Even as an educator it is okay to as for help for your colleagues and even your own students. We can learn just as much from our students as they do from us. Also, asking for help amongst colleagues is a sign of strength and shows dedication, excellent team work, and professionalism as a staff. Using available technology is also a smart alternative to help teach through potential weaknesses as an educator. I think as a teacher it is important to not be shy about your weaknesses and turn it into an opportunity for your students of colleagues to teach you something.
My favorite part of the chapter was learning about the different aspect such as historical periods, genetic, environmental, activators, and deactivators on intelligence. In this section of the chapter it makes it seem like there could have been a lot of highly intelligent losses due to historical time periods. The example it gave was what it Mozart had been born in Puritan England where practicing music was considered the devils work? Well, it seems like this could have actually happened to someone and their high intellect was wasted due to popular notions and beliefs. It makes me upset to think of someone who could have been highly gifted was in a time period where their intelligence was seen in a negative light. Also, those being born into a poor family that does not have the resources to help develop potential genius intelligence makes me feel sad. Same case with someone who had a deactivator in their life that inhibited something potentially great.
Jon Delorme
As I stated in my previous blog entry I feel very week in certain intelligences and strong in others. The activity in class that let us identify which intelligences we are showed that I am not too proficient in being a musical, naturalist, or spatial learner. This honestly scares me because I want to provide for my students the best learning experience I can offer. I do not want my future students to suffer just because I cannot present the material the way they learn best. Chapter Two of Multiple Intelligences by Thomas Armstrong leaves the reader some tips in fixing this gap between teacher and student. Armstrong suggests using colleagues and students who are strong where I am not to lend a helping hand or provide ideas for different strategies. Armstrong also proposes using technical resources to assist in drawing connections between the students’ mind and the material being presented. I will definitely remember these simple suggestions when I become a teacher one day.
I am thankful that Armstrong does say that, “most people can develop all their intelligences to a relatively acceptable level of mastery (27).” There is hope that I can develop the traits that I wish to improve in. Reading this book and Thursday’s class about multiple intelligences has really opened my eyes to how diverse people can be. I wish that other professors on this campus were more aware of how different students can be from themselves. I have had too many classes at the collegiate level that have been straight lectures with nothing besides a podium. It is hard to be taught by professionals who do almost everything we are told not to do.
Tess Perry
In order to effectively utilize the MI theory in classrooms the educator must have experimented with their own MIs. Discovering which areas are developed and looking for other intelligences that could use further growth is the first step. A suggestion offered was to ask others for suggestions on how to incorporate more of the intelligences in class work. The two most accessible resources described in this chapter were colleagues and students. Colleagues can be used to team teach in an intelligence area that the class teacher may still need to grow. Asking students that have exhibited higher development in one intelligence area was another suggestion offered. Many factors can play into the growth or suppression of intelligences such as environment, genetics, and resources to intelligences, historical or cultural factors, family or simply different personal experiences
This chapter took a more introspective approach for me; it caused me to look into what I could improve upon to make my future classroom and lessons appealing and inclusive to all students. Examining my development of the different intelligences might drive how I continue my education both professionally and personally. For example I know my musical intelligence is less developed than my bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, so I should focus on how I can bring music into my classroom or I could take piano lessons to improve upon this intelligence. I think that if I improved upon one of the intelligences personally it would spill over into my professional life. One blaring example of this, my content area, I practice healthy habits personally which is one reason I become interested in this subject in the first place.
Tori Penney
In Chapter 2 of MI, the focus is mostly on how teacher’s intelligences affect their teaching methods. I know from both personal assessment and the assessments we took in class that I am very spatially, musically, and verbally focused. So bringing in logic and math and relating it to social studies may not be something I can do. As a resource I should ask another teacher or student who has a very developed logical intelligence for ideas. What I hadn't thought of before was that not all of these intelligences are solely developed—or not developed—because of heredity and biological happenings. On page 29, a list of outside influences is presented, and includes access to resources, historical-cultural factors, geographic factors, familial factors, and situational factors. These factors had never really crossed my mind. Even in class the other day, when I spoke about how my father exposed me to music, it didn’t click in my head how important that was. What if I had a dad who didn’t like music? Would music still be so entwined in my life today? Would I still enjoy singing, or even be good at it? I am not sure, and I could never be sure. As a teacher, I hope that I can expose students to crystallizing experiences and not paralyzing experiences. I believe that the most occurring paralyzing experience is when teachers call on students who are not great readers, and ask them to read out loud. While I understand that this is to challenge the student, there are other ways to do so without announcing the student’s difficulty to the classroom and hence embarrassing the in front of all of their peers. That will only paralyze them both with furthering their verbal/linguistic skills, as well as their social skills.
Kiera Timme
In Chapter 2, of Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom, the author Thomas Armstrong emphasizes the importance for teachers to understand their own multiple intelligences, before they begin to use it. In order to facilitate this requirement, Armstrong provides suggestions of how to go about assessing ourselves, as well as a MI inventory as an exploratory aid to help us make an evaluation. Once this has been established, the author builds upon the idea presented in Chapter 1 regarding developing each of our intelligences. Armstrong describes this process of intelligence developing as “activating” (Armstrong, p27). This is the process by which we can activate intelligences that have been neglected.This chapter highlights the importance of knowing oneself before trying to analyze others. As a teacher it is particularly important that I understand what teaching approaches I am likely to take, based on my intelligences. This way I can remain mindful of the other intelligences, and the students whose intelligences differ from mine. While reading, I came to view this chapter as somewhat of a cautionary tale. Understanding that certain experiences can either “crystalize” or “paralyze” (Armstrong, p28) the development of certain intelligence is really powerful information. I remember when I was in high school and we were called upon to look at the membrane of an onion under a microscope. I was so short that I had to tip-toe to try and view the slide. At this moment my science teacher burst into laughter. I definitely found myself pulling away from that class after that incident despite the fact that I really enjoyed science. As a teacher, it is so important that I act in ways which nurture the development of my students, and that I remain mindful that even the smallest negative act might stifle their potential.
Garrett Hodgkins
The second chapter of the book focuses on our own personal intelligences, and how they can affect the classroom. It also talks about how we should realize where some of our intelligence weaknesses may lay, and what we can do to ensure that these are still prominent in the classroom that may be stronger in those areas. It also goes into how an environment could vastly affect a person’s development in a certain area, citing a Mozart growing up in a puritan England as an example, where his musical intelligence would have been severely hampered.This essay did a lot to open my eyes to what an negative environment could to do a students learning capability and intelligence. Without the right environment and teacher a students potential could be left entirely untapped. similarly, an absolutely volatile environment would leave the student’s ability very undeveloped. I will make sure to exclude negative aspects of intelligence in my future classroom, striving to not reprimand a student who may seem weak in an area of intelligence, because that may be the paralyzing experience that completely eliminates his development in that particular area of intelligence. Also, this article showed me that I my student’s may be able to help me just as much as I can them. When in the classroom and in a situation where I would like to lead the class in an intelligence area I am not strong in ( spatial) I could as a student to lead the activity for me, not only to nurture his own spatial intelligence, but the rest of the class’s as well
Frank Makuch
This chapter went through the process of finding out where you as an educator sit on the MI spectrum. It states that no matter what intelligences you excel in, you must be able to understand the others. This might include accepting advice from a person who might be more spatial or musical or logical then you are. The chapter describes the three things that may cause a person to develop and use their intelligences. Influences include genetics, personal life history, and culture. All of these things may cause a certain development to take root. The chapter also mentioned the activators and deactivators of intelligence. Certain geniuses such as Albert Einstein had a specific moment that triggered their creativity in a certain area. The deactivator seems to be the much more tragic. This is a moment or memory that may deter the individual from developing certain intelligences. This can be caused by embarrassment or some other factor.As a professional educator I hope to use my knowledge of intelligences to create a more open environment for people who do not fit the cultural mold. Depriving someone of their own intelligence because you humiliated them might be the worst thing you could do as an educator. Understanding why some students excel in schools and some do not is important. The ones who have trouble should not be passed over as dumb. The MI theory gives us a framework to come from when we view the classroom and students.
Molly Olsen
Intelligences can be developed for years. At age five you may not be much of a reader, but if your mother finally lands the librarian job of her dreams, or your father purchases a beautiful house furnished (books and all) perhaps that would change. Events such as these are called "crystalizing experiences", as they put a certain intelligence in a positive light by striking an interest or simply have it's tools or ideas available. The same could go oppositely as well. If you had illiterate parents and your friends from the neighborhood laughed at a story they found you trying to write, you may not succeed in your literacy. When you are biologically endowed, have a personal life history, and cultural background of positive interaction or attainment of an intelligence, you are more likely to possess it.In order to teach students who possess a certain intelligence, it would be helpful to have some sort of understanding of it yourself so that you can suggest project ideas, or find a part of a lesson which can connect to multiple students superior knowledges or abilities in particular. This isn't to say that you have to be a savant in every way, that would be impossible! The idea is to recognize your strengths and weaknesses, and figure out how to work with them so as to help your students. For instance, if you're very musical, write them a song about nouns or a particular character in a book. I know for me, I'm not very high in my bodily- kinesthetic area, but if I knew my students were, I could use my fellow teachers as resources for ideas of how to [[#|apply]] more physical things to my lessons.
Kaitlyn Bowie
This chapter focused on the important of encouraging multiple intelligences, not just in students, but in the teachers as well. By figuring out their own weaknesses and strengths out of the eight intelligences, a teacher can decide what styles of presenting information they can use to improve and vary their teaching style. Teachers are encouraged to reach out to their peers and talk to them about what strategies they might have used in the classroom, and compare that to their own teaching style in order to see what can be added for improvement in their own classroom. This is an encouraged method, also due to the fact that by referring to another’s work, a teacher will know what to expect for problems and questions their own students may have based off of what students asked the other teacher during the initial lesson.I found this chapter to be encouraging, because it described continual learning for teachers in varying stages of teaching. While such methods of identifying intelligences would certainly benefit a new teacher, a more experiences teacher could do that same. To me, this could mean that after I establish a teaching method that is effective and works to my strengths, I should [[#|continue]] to improve it by utilizing skills in the other intelligences. For example, say that I have students write silent at the start of class. I can improve this by utilizing my underdeveloped musical skills by playing music that either creates a serene working atmosphere, or pertains to the writing if I have students focusing on a particular topic.
Caroline Murphy
I was unaware that Multiple Intelligences could be affected by so many external factors; I thought they were simply something that was hardwired into a person’s brain throughout their whole life. It is sad to think that a child’s potential for knowledge could be halted by something completely out of their control, such as socioeconomic factors or the influence of parents, but those are just challenges that a teacher must overcome. I think that one of the most important jobs of a teacher is to draw out knowledge in the face of various forms of resistance. The chapter’s ideas for how teachers can make up for lacking in a particular intelligence were very interesting too. I would really like to have the opportunity to team teach at some point in my career, so keeping in mind the different intelligences and learning styles when doing so will be very helpful. It was valuable to learn about the different ways that teachers can collaborate with their minds and different strengths, and that idea is definitely something I will take into the classroom with me. I also like how the author suggested having students use their own intelligence strengths to help out a teacher when their strengths don’t match up. This would create a very collaborative, inventive classroom environment that would allow students a chance to take on leadership positions in the classroom and to explore their individual talents in a way that benefits the classroom as a whole. These are all important things to remember once I am a teacher.
Amy Jones
The developing of different intelligences is determined by 3 factors:- Biological endowment: including hereditary or genetic factors and insults or injuries to the brain before, during, and after birth.
- Personal life history- including experiences with the parents, teachers, peers, friends, and others who awaken intelligences, keep them from developing, or actively repress them.
- Cultural and historical background- including the time and place in which you were born and raised and the nature and state of cultural or historical developments in different domains.
There are also different experiences that either “paralyze” our intelligence or crystialize them. They are sought to be the turning point or the light bulb in which a child either develops that intelligence more or in the sad circumstances diminishes the will to learn more about the intelligence. In conjuction with those they are different factors that will help facilitate these actions. They include:- Access to resources or mentors
- Historical-cultural factors
- Geographic factors
- Familial Factors
- Situational factors
This chapter makes you open your mind and makes you realize all of the different people that are in this world today. These different intelligences need to be apparent in your daily curriculum so that you as a teacher are crystallizing these intelligences instead of paralyzing them. The importance of teaching is getting the best out of everyone; yes it is important to build their knowledge in many different forms of intelligences but we need to understand that each child has their own way of learning material and also their own way of expressing that same material.Alison Hutchins
The second chapter of Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom discusses implementing the multiple intelligences (MIs) in your own life in order to accurately use them in the classroom. It explains that this is a necessity of commitment, as knowing it works for educators and adult learners will strengthen the dedication to using it on students. It also helps gain fluency in each of the individual intelligences, which will help to use them in the classroom. Another way that identifying your own MIs is to understand where your areas of weakness are, they use the example that, as an educator, you could have very limited spatial abilities, which makes you prone to avoiding drawing diagrams and pictures, and using graphics. However, there will be spatial learners in your classroom, meaning that you have to develop this skill more to properly instruct them.
Understanding this and how the MIs are developed (the three main ways being biological endowment, personal life history, and cultural and historical background) are crucial to teaching a diverse classroom effectively. Also important are the activators and deactivators, “crystallizing and paralyzing experiences.” These are factors that will either suppress or feed the development in a certain MI. In seventh grade I had a crystallizing experience with English, having been told by my teacher that I was a strong academic and creative writer. This is the kind of moment that I would love to be able to create for students, while dashing any possible paralyzing experiences in my classroom. Encouragement to develop intelligences and playing to a students is is important for a teacher to do, as certain moments can really affect you students’ future.